November 16, 2018

Public forum held to begin the search for next Windham Town Manager

By
Lorraine Glowczak

The
multi-step process for the hiring of the next Windham Town Manager began with a
public forum on Thursday, November 8 at 7 p.m. at the Town Hall in the Council
Chambers room. The purpose of the meeting was to offer the Windham community an
opportunity to provide input regarding what they deem important qualities for
the next town manager.

The
meeting was facilitated by interim manager Don Gerrish and Richard Metivier, a consultant
with Eaton-Peabody Consulting Group (along with Gerrish), which will be leading
and assisting in the hiring process.

Approximately
12 citizens were in attendance, including four town council members, Clayton
Haskell, Rebecca Cummings, Jarrod Maxfield and newly elected, Dave Nadeau.

Gerrish
announced that he anticipates up to 30 applications will be submitted for the
position and an ad has been placed in professional websites with a deadline of
November 26. Once the search has been closed, a public meeting will be set for
community members and business owners, etc. to have an opportunity to ask
questions and learn more about the applicants. Interviews with department heads
will also take place with a final selection from the Town Council. The successful
candidate will be known by mid-January and the expected start date will be
February 1. “We are seeking the person who fits your community the best,”
Gerrish said.

Various
comments were expressed with the main concerns focused upon the growth of
Windham and transparency in town government.

Other
comments expressed by the public included but were not limited to the following:

“Our
town is growing very fast, but we still have a measure of small-town mentality.
We need a candidate who can pull this community and this town council together,”
stated Pat Moody.

“We
are becoming a suburb of Portland (but) that is not my plan for Windham.” We
have to hold back growth. We need controlled growth while protecting the
environment. We have five bodies of water that are impaired as a result of
uncontrolled growth.” Jeanie Rhein

“Town
officials need to understand the boundaries of their roles,” stated Allen
Pollack. He also expressed hope that solutions to problems are presented to the
council as a full range of options and not just a single recommendation.

“The
town is bigger and busier and we need a collaborative approach to help us solve
the problems. We need to follow our comprehensive plans. I’m not confident
effective planning is taking place,” expressed Kyle Rhoades

“We
need transparency and communication through all groups. The candidate needs
previous experience and should not be a rookie. He or she should be an idea
person who brings multiple options to the table and provides a good working
environment for town employees,” stated Maxfield.

“The
candidate should be competent in MUNIS software,” expressed Nadeau.

“We
need to have increased acknowledgment and non-monetary support for local
non-profits and civic organizations. Sometimes non-profits just need good
advice or help navigating various town rules and ordinances. I highly recommend
a more collaborative approach to town management rather than the “top-down”
approach.” Walter Lunt said.

Other
suggestions and comments included that consideration should also be given to candidates
who are experienced in the private sector. It was also mentioned that town
government should be “vigorously transparent”, stating that it seems like
certain “unknown factions” make secret deals. Suggestions included that competing
factions should collaborate through consensus building and the candidate should
be able to help lead the council through conflicts.

The
public forum ended at approximately 8 p.m. For full details of the public
forum, one can view the recorded session on channel 7 which can be accessed on
the Town of Windham webpage at www.windhammaine.us.